Aston Villa will hope to progress in the Europa Conference League quarter-finals this evening, a game that could be critical for Moussa Diaby in the bid to save his season.
Aston Villa face a crucial test against Ajax this evening in what is poised to be a special night at Villa Park.
The Villans have the chance to progress into the quarter-finals of the Europa Conference League with the score set at 0-0 from the first leg in Amsterdam between the two sides.
Unai Emery will be keen to see his side deliver a strong performance in front of their home supporters after Sunday’s Premier League demolition to Tottenham, with the manager expected to make some changes from the defeat.
Aston Villa team news vs Ajax
In the first leg, the boss welcomed fresh attacking faces to the regular XI by starting both Morgan Rogers and Moussa Diaby at the Johan Cruyff Arena.
The duo stepped in for Leon Bailey, who was rested, and Jacob Ramsey, who was injured, giving Emery the flexibility to rotate his squad amid their bustling schedule.
Now that Ramsey will not feature this evening due to injury, Rogers could once again be handed a start, while Diaby may have to fight for his position.
Dropping Bailey to the bench was a decision assumed to have been made in relation to the Spurs game that came just three days after the first leg, with the Jamaican in contention to reclaim his place on the right flank tonight based on the threat he has shown this term.
Moussa Diaby must take his chance against Ajax if he starts
If Bailey is returned to the wing, Diaby could either join Ollie Watkins in the central area in place of Youri Tielemans or of course, drop back to the bench.
It would be a shame for the Frenchman to lose his place however, in the instance that he does start, he must take his opportunity.
The start of the 2023/24 campaign was formidable for Villa’s record signing, where he recorded eight goal contributions in his opening 10 Premier League appearances.
Since then, the “really clever” asset, as he was once dubbed by his former teammate Kerem Demirbay, has struggled to impose himself in the squad, recording only three goal contributions in his previous 18 league games.
As a result, Diaby’s game time has been restricted, making tonight’s duel critical for the former Bayer Leverkusen ace to save his season.
It’s now been six games since the 24-year-old started a Premier League game for Villa, with tonight’s fixture potentially being the final chance for the summer arrival to start a game this campaign.
In the scenario that Diaby was to start and make an impact, Emery could see his head turned to re-integrate the £130k-a-week gem into his starting XI with just 10 games remaining for him to turn his debut season around at Villa Park.
